I have the pleasure of providing a brief message for this month’s Devil’s Advocate while Sandy Ross is taking a couple of weeks of well-earned leave.

As February 2022 comes to an end, many Victorians are welcoming the latest easing of restrictions and embracing the change as a signal of optimism for the months ahead. While there is no disguising the impacts of the pandemic which continue to pose risks and uncertainty in our communities, we are hoping to carry that same sense of optimism in our work going forward.

In the next few weeks, FCVic will commence its process of developing the organisation’s next three-year Strategic Plan. The FCVic Board, staff and a representative group of members will come together on 15 March to reflect on the outgoing Strategic Plan and identify the current set of priorities for our sector and our membership.

FCVic has also been involved in a number of important submissions recently – in particular, a response to the draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. We are fortunate in Victoria to have a financial counselling sector with such a well-developed understanding and response to family violence. The knowledge and experience of our financial counsellors in this space offers significant insights that can strengthen the national approach to addressing all forms of abuse against women and children. Our recommendations for the new National Plan aim to shape the future in terms of addressing financial abuse, disadvantage, and women’s economic security and financial vulnerability. I invite you to read our response featured in this newsletter.

Lastly, another positive note: we have confirmed new dates for the FCVic Conference which will be held in September 2022. Communications will go out shortly advising the new dates. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our stakeholders during the rescheduling, and we promise to provide another excellent conference program this year.